


Just a Little Bit of Patience

by Emanemmy12



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/F, High School AU, Modern AU, mentions of other canon characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 02:26:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6138203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emanemmy12/pseuds/Emanemmy12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A modern high school AU where Patsy meets Delia over tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The brightness of the screen glared into Patsy’s eyes as she scrolled down her dashboard. It was late. Painfully so. She knew that she should probably go to sleep soon, but her mind was far too bust racing through the many things that liked to keep her awake. Tumblr was her only source of entertainment slash calming method. Sometimes it was there for her flailing about fictional lesbians, but most other times it was there to be a placeholder for a diary. This was something that couldn’t be found by her housekeeper and then reported to her father. That had been what happened last time and had been how she’d wound up with a therapist. Not that her therapist wasn’t helpful, but it was quite frustrating to have one’s privacy broken into. Patsy had said as much to her father and he’d merely given her that small worried smile that was so often on his face nowadays. She knew he meant well. The emptiness of this big house hit her so easily now. Clearing her throat slightly, Patsy navigated her cursor to her iTunes and clicked on some music, letting the sounds of Marina and the Diamonds start to drift across her ears. Perhaps the upbeat background music would help chase away these thoughts. Then she moved back to Tumblr. In a feat of achievement for her, she’d almost reached back to where she’d last left off from the last time she’d refreshed. There was a lull in posts it seemed. Patsy sighed out loud. On a whim, she scrolled all the way back up and clicked open to make a text post. “Going to be a long night. If any of my lovely followers want to badger me with questions, it would be appreciated! :D” She almost rolled her eyes at the cheesiness of the post and there was no way in hell that someone would actually respond to it, but Patsy hit post anyways, not before tagging it “personal, can’t sleep that’s all, don’t worry”. There were some of her friends from back in London who might have seen the post and worried. Though they were probably very fast asleep at the moment. In case they checked things later though. Barbara was a worrier for no good reason. 

She’d refreshed the page and scrolled for a few more minutes when finally Patsy realized that there was actually a little read one hovering above her messages. Her mouse, without even thinking about it, moved to hover over the small envelope icon. Mouth pursed in anticipation, she clicked. It was an anonymous message. That was the first thing that she noticed anyways. Which made Patsy curious. Then the words written made the corner of her mouth turn upwards in a half smile. “You didn’t specify what sort of questions. What would you like to answer?” 

It didn’t take her very long to answer. Patsy prided herself on being slightly more honest online than she was in real life, so the truth was easy. “Anything really,” she typed. “I’m trying to get my brain to stop going around in circles. My favorite color is green types I guess.” Without any other fanfare, Patsy posted the answer. Part of her wondered if this anon was just throwing her a bone or would actually write her back again. Her face fell back to its neutral expression and then scrolled. There was a gif set about Grey’s Anatomy that she hadn’t seen before, a random post about how something science-y that she scrolled past, a beautiful drawing of someone’s OC, and then there was porn. Patsy scrolled past that quickly, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. There were some things that she didn’t really need to see. But was that really how it looked? Curiosity made her start to scroll up and then to her chagrin, Patsy noticed another little red message notification.

“Alright then, favorite pizza topping?” 

“No jokes, but sausage.” 

There is a few moments and then another question comes. “Why no jokes?” 

Giving an eye roll, Patsy types out a quick message. “Sorry, force of habit. If you’ll direct your attention to my sidebar, you’ll see that I’m still in high school and am therefore prone to dick jokes on a daily basis. That combined with my lesbianism means that if anything I like is shaped like a phallus it is twice as funny.” 

The next message comes shortly, though it wasn’t sent as quickly as the no jokes question. “Are you sure you are in high school? I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone under the age of 50 use phallus seriously.” 

Patsy huffs at her screen. It was one of the various things that she got teased at in school. Her word choice, her accent, her height, her red hair, and her general social awkwardness made very easy targets. Of course, it didn’t help that she was a “new” kid too. Her father had moved them both overseas so that they’d still be able to maintain the appearance that they were a family. But of course, whoever this was probably didn’t know that. So Patsy curbed her first reaction to be snarky, plus they got points for not making a big deal out of her orientation. “I am very sure. Though sometimes I forget it myself. :P” It was easy to make a joke out of it. She was pretty sure that this was going to be the last part of the exchange. Most anons didn’t really stick around for that long and she couldn’t say that she blamed them. Sometimes internet exchanges could be so fleeting when it was between strangers. The only people that Patsy really used to talk to on here were people from back where she actually considered home. Of course Trixie, Barbara, and Cynthia were much closer now that she was gone, but that was to be expected. Thinking about her friends, Patsy quickly typed in the start of Trixie’s URL. wicked-trix-45.tumblr.com wasn’t the most creative name, but it had Trixie written all over it. Her tumblr was mostly pictures of herself, fashion pictures, whoever her latest celebrity crush was, and an odd mix of landscapes and poetry. To be completely honest, Patsy didn’t really understand it half the time. But it was what entertained her friend, so she wasn’t going to comment. She scrolled through the pictures for a little while, but eventually the thoughts came back and Patsy realized that she was bored. Clicking back to her dashboard, she was surprised to see that there were a total of two messages awaiting her. 

“Lol I’ll take your word for it! How about your favorite book? I’d ask tv show, but I think I can figure it out.” The timestamp showed a grand total of 6 minutes before the second message. “I hope I didn’t offend you with the doubting your age.” 

It made Patsy raise an eyebrow. It seemed that her anon was an actual decent human being. “My favorite book is probably Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce. And I got your second message and you didn’t, I was just looking at something else.” She was curious now, so Patsy types in something else. “What about yours?” It takes her another moment to hit the post button, but now her mind is totally focused on when she might get a reply from this person and Patsy can barely pay attention to her dashboard. There was a certain excitement about this and she wasn’t sure why. A small part of her said that it was because she was tired and lonely, but most of her was going to ignore that. 

“More of a Daine fan myself,” came the next message. “I have to sleep. But let me leave you with a few questions to help you with your long night. What’s your star sign? What’s your favorite subject in school? Do you play any sports? How many toes do you have? Can you speak any other languages? That’s all that I can think of, but I hope this helps!” 

The random list of questions made Patsy smile and her fingers glided across the keyboard swiftly to answer. “Capricorn, Science (currently taking chemistry), Yes I swim, I’ve got the full ten, and I can manage a bit of Mandarin (father says it’s best to learn for the future.)” She hit send and felt a little sad that her curious anon was leaving her. Patsy spent another half hour scrolling mindlessly through tumblr, her eyelids growing heavier and her mind becoming less hectic. Eventually, Patsy slid her laptop to the space next to her in bed and curled up under her sheets. Dreamless sleep met her. 

School the next day was fairly boring. Patsy wasn’t very close to the people in her classes, but when swim team practice rolled around, the late night before was showing. Her body felt sluggish and Patsy gave a huge yawn. Her phone gave a buzz and Patsy reached over to pick it up. There was a message from Trixie. She wanted to know who the anon from last night was. Patsy just rolled her eyes and tossed her phone back into her bag. She had to change for practice. She always made sure to avert her eyes, not wanting to give off any possible gay vibes. At school Patsy was fairly closeted. The risks were far greater and so she kept herself above it all. People thought that she was prissy, but that was a better reputation than being gay. With her inability to focus and the lack of sleep weighing on her body the whole time, her times suffered. It made her feel like she was letting people down. There was a meet in a month, the first of the season. She’d even heard rumors of there being another transfer from across the seas in the division and apparently this girl was an ace in the water. Patsy had never been the best, but her times were solid when she wasn’t utterly exhausted. A few other girls had formed a circle and when she pulled herself out of the pool, they shot looks at Patsy. Trying to ignore the discomfort, she pulled off her cap and went to her towel, wrapping it around herself. She wished she had her phone, but it was back in her locker. Patsy leaned back onto the cold wall of the pool and watched the other girls who were swimming. Through sheer will she managed not to fall asleep. Her father picked her up an hour later and they sat in silence while Patsy typed out a response in the group chat. Barbara had wondered of the anon was one of them, to which the other had said no quickly. Then the rest of the speculation had been whether it was a boy or girl. She shook her head fondly and typed out that since it was an anonymous person, there was no way to know either way. Cynthia agreed while the other two boo’d Patsy for spoiling their fun. She couldn’t help but give a little laugh. 

Almost immediately her father picked up on it. His eyes flickered over to her and then he finally spoke. “How was school?”

“Alright. Nothing too spectacular.” She wasn’t one of those teenagers that hated her parent, but it wasn’t like she was on very good terms with him either. 

He gave a slight nod. “Practice? Have any meets coming up soon? I have to know so I can tell my secretary to put it on my calendar.” 

“It was good. And yes. I’ve let her know already.” 

“Good to hear. I look forward to it. We can get Indian after if you want.” It had been their sort of tradition back in England. It was clear that he was trying to connect and listen, but Patsy really didn’t care. In response, she only gave a sort of noncommittal grunt and looked back down at her phone. The girls had moved on to talking about some of the boys back in her old school. It was sad to see that time moved on without her and Patsy clicked the sleep button. She looked out the window and watched the buildings pass by. It wasn’t until her father lightly shook her shoulder that Patsy realized that she must have fallen asleep. “You alright love?” he asked, voice low with concern. “If you aren’t feeling well, you can take the day off of school tomorrow. With your grades, I’m sure there wouldn’t be any trouble.” 

“No, I’m fine, I guess practice took more out of me than I thought it would. I’ll just go to bed earlier tonight.” She meant it. Her whole wish was that her head wouldn’t keep her up. But if she had another curious anon then it wouldn’t be so bad. Her father gave a worried smile, but he didn’t press her. It was how they interacted now, with silent concern. Too much time spent apart from each other and too much space to be able to really be a family now that it was just them. It wasn’t her father’s fault. Before he hadn’t had to be a parental figure. Neither of them really knew how to be father and daughter. Patsy for her part didn’t really do much to worry him. She didn’t go out and she got good grades. It wasn’t like she was totally isolated either. That was at least the beauty of the internet. Patsy knew that sometimes when she was skipping one of the girls from back home that he would move past her door, just to hear her laugh. At first she’d been annoyed about it, but Cynthia had pointed out that it was just his way of making sure that she was alright. After that Patsy hadn’t been able to find it in her heart to get as riled up as she had been. Grabbing her bag from the back of the car, she trudged her way back into the house and up to her room. Supper was in an hour and a half which was certainly not enough time to do any of her homework. Instead she decided to log onto her laptop and kill time that way. After supper she would had to get everything done. The dread at that idea made her groan as she waited for the loading screen to be done. Clicking open Facebook and opening the group chat, Patsy read the vague drama with a smile. Apparently there was a boy who’d recently gotten quite attractive and both Barbara and Trixie fancied him. Rolling her eyes, Patsy couldn’t help the smile as she imagined the two of them glaring at each other across lunch. Poor Cynthia having to deal with such nonsense. There was also a general concern from all of them that Patsy was actually making friends. How amusing that it seemed the two things they worried about were boys and her. She typed out a message, hoping to reassure them. 

P: I am trying. It’s always taken me a long time to warm up to people.

T: You didn’t seem to have that much trouble when you visited my house and stripped to your knickers after a few minutes. 

P: …You do recall that I was 7 at the time right?

B: Oh I’ve never heard that story!

B: Didn’t get the message that it was when you were 7. Never mind. I’m not sure I’d want to know.

T: Sadly not much else to tell. Patsy always making me stick to the truth. :P

P: Well someone has to. 

B: I wouldn’t know where to start. 

T: Rude!

B: <3

C: I’m glad to hear that you are trying to make friends Patsy. Once they get to know you, they’ll see how lovely you are.  
T: Otherwise we’d never have been friends!

B: Not helping Trix!

T: lol Sorry!

P: It’s fine. After ten years of Trixie, I’m rather used to it. 

C: I have to get off the computer soon. It’s almost my bed time. I have no idea how you two stay up so late. 

T: Because we aren’t secretly 65 like you. But you make a good point. I might need to work on my beauty sleep. Especially if I’m to snag Tom before Barbara. 

B: Hey!

T: Early bird gets the worm, sweetie. 

B: We’ll see. 

P: Play nice you two. Remember the words of the Spice Girls: Friendship never ends

T: Pats, next time we Skype I’m going to really judge you for your weird obsession with the Spice Girls. 

P: Don’t start a battle you cannot win. You have much more judgable tastes than I do.

B: You both do. :P

C: Getting off now! Good night!

T: Ta ta! I suppose I’d better go too. I have finish up my homework….

B: Oh lord! I completely forgot! 

P: See you all later. 

Patsy shook her head and opened up another window. They might be back on later, despite their words. She could either watch a youtube video or go on tumblr. Not that much time had past so she decided to watch a thing on youtube. Maybe a Hannah Hart video. Settling back into her pillow, Patsy let the video play, a small smile on her mouth. It was good to be able to relax from the pool. Though that thought did remind her that she needed to shower. Leaving chlorine in her hair did her absolutely no favors and Patsy was loathe to walk around with weirdly tinted hair. But it was time for supper before she knew it. Her father had ordered out thankfully and so there was Chinese to look forward to. Despite herself, Patsy checked her tumblr and saw that there was a message. There was still a few minutes before her Dad would actually call her, so Patsy clicked. “Thanks for answering all of my questions and I hope you didn’t stay up too late. I also have to admit that I’ve kinda been stalking your tumblr a little bit. I love Grey’s and Doctor Who as well! Ps. u are pretty cute.” The words were a bit of a surprise and Patsy found herself blushing. She wasn’t really often complimented. But then her mind reminded her that it had been a long time since she’d posted a picture of herself. Furrowing her brow, Patsy clicked to her blog and added /tagged/my+face. The time stamp on the last one was over a year ago and it was a picture of her when she’d first gotten her braces off, so it was even older than the time stamp. 

“Oh god,” she muttered out loud. That had to be the most embarrassing picture that someone had ever complimented. Though it did mean that she was curious about this person who seemed to for whatever reason be interested in her. If it was some creeper than Patsy didn’t want to have anything to do with them. But the change that is wasn’t was what prompted her to type out a message. “If you want to talk about them I’d be happy to, but you should probably come off of anon. I know so little about you and you know so much more about me. ;) But for now I have to eat supper.” It was kinda flirty? But not really. Again, the potential that this person was a creeper was still a risk. Just then, her phone buzzed. It was her father. 

The words written on the screen made Patsy groan with embarrassment. “Come down to dinner or I’ll have to start worrying that I’ve lost my Patience.” Not many people made jokes about her name. Otherwise they suffered her most angry glare. Her father, however, was the one person that seemed to be immune. She shut her laptop and grabbed her phone. The eye roll that he was going to be getting was already prepared as Patsy shut the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The anon gets a name and Patsy deals with some stuff aka her mom and sister. Still very Patsy centric, but we'll get there.

When she got back to her room, Patsy pushed the thoughts of the mysterious anon out of her mind. She had to do homework. Despite the fact that it felt like her eyeballs were weighed down by stones and all she really wanted to do was curl up and read or watch something, Patsy had a duty as a student and a daughter to get this work done. It was mostly history that was giving her trouble. Having moved here from the United Kingdom, she had knowledge of all of the important kings and queens of England, but US history was not something that she’d had to really remember as much. Sure Patsy had learnt about it and knew the general idea, but the dates and things was the most difficult part. She hunkered down and got to work. About three hours later, she’d worked through most of her homework. It had been a pain. Luckily she’d done some of the busy work while in study hall. It was late, but Patsy was still hopeful that her anon had decided to reveal their true nature. She popped open her laptop and quickly hit her bookmark. Her face fell a little bit as the page finally loaded. There wasn’t anything new. Patsy knew that she shouldn’t have been so eager to see who they had been. Still, she felt disappointed. Pushing the screen away, Patsy sat still for a few moments. It figured that she was so affected by it because she was incredibly lonely. Being here in this country and house made her feel so alone. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Patsy curled into herself. She wasn’t going to cry. There had already been enough tears that she had cried. Halfheartedly, she reached out a hand to scroll down the endless stream of content. Eventually her heart recovers and the call of the internet sucked her back in. 

It’s after she’s brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas that Patsy double checks her tumblr again. If she hadn’t already gotten therapy then she might have worried about her seeing addiction to the internet. To her surprise there is both a new message and a new follower. A wide grin breaks across her face. The URL is fxllen-intotheblue and it seems that this person had sent her a message. “Hey there. Sorry this too me forever, but I didn’t have one of these before. Not to be creepy again. But I’m your anon. I’ve kinda been keeping tabs on you since I followed a buzzed article down the rabbit hole of the Doctor Who fandom. Which does sound totally creepy. But I’m not a crazy person, just technologically inept. I hope you can teach me what all this is about!” The icon was just a cute picture of someone swimming and Patsy felt herself smile. Clearly this wasn’t some creep. She’d had her fair share of those since her URL had been on a buzzed post ages ago. Honestly she still wasn’t sure how that happened, but it made whoever followed her hard to keep track of. Though that was a long time to be keeping eyes on her and not actually make a tumblr. Patsy gave a little shrug. It was clear that whoever this was had taken it seriously. They’d even found a custom theme. Frankly Patsy was impressed that they’d taken the time. Then on closer inspection she saw that it had been done but the same person who’d made hers. At least they agreed on taste in this matter. 

She was still feeling slightly cautious, but Patsy was willing to give this person a shot. “That’s quite a long time to be keeping tabs without actually making a blog. I admire you tenacity. Though I don’t think you need much of my help. You seem to be doing quite alright on your own. And thank you for the compliments.” It’s late by the time that she sends this and Patsy’s so tired that she can’t even think of staying up later. So she quickly clicked on the other’s inbox and sent a message. “I have to go to sleep, but I’d like to know a bit about you. What’s your name? What’s your star sign? Anything to even the playing field really.” With that, Patsy slid away her computer and let herself drift off to sleep. 

When she awoke the next morning Patsy opened her tumblr messages and grinned seeing that there was an answer for her. She didn’t have time to read it carefully as school was fast approaching, but the knowledge that there was something to look forward to helped her float through most of her lessons and practice. At the end, it seemed that Coach Crane had an announcement for them. “Girls, gather round please,” she commanded. “I have something to tell you all. It seems that one of the other districts pools has suffered some serious damages and is in need or repairs. I’ve offered them joint use of ours until it can be done.” There is groaning from some of the team. “Come on now,” she said, scolding the team. “Good sportsmanship is helping out those when they need you to. They’ll be starting to come here in a few days. And remember, they’ll be taking a long bus ride so I expect you all to be nice.” With that, the practice was over. Patsy didn’t really mind so much. At least it meant that there would be new faces and people wouldn’t always glare at her for whatever reason. It wasn’t like she was the best swimmer, but some of the other girls had gotten it in their heads that Patsy was somehow going to steal their boyfriends or something. Like she was even interested. Though the prospect of a whole other collection of people who might get the wrong idea about her for no reason was a little daunting.

The girl who had been sitting next to her leaned over and gave Patsy a jab in the ribs with her elbow. “If this is the team I think it is, then it’s the one with someone else from the UK.” Patsy turned to look and tried to recall this girl’s name. The back of her mind is telling her that it’s Sam. “She’s been here longer and her times in Freestyle are amazing. At least 10 seconds on mine.” Patsy gave a nod and gave a small smile. This was Sam then. She was the best on the team at Free. 

“That’s rather impressive,” Patsy commented. She wasn’t really sure why Sam wanted to talk to her, but she wasn’t going to be rude either. “Though I rather doubt I know her, whoever she is.” 

Sam gave a small shake of her head. “I didn’t think you would. I’m just excited for some good competition. See you Thursday.” She clapped Patsy on the back and headed to the locker room. The exchange was a little confusing. From what she could remember of Sam, the other girl didn’t really talk to people that often. She was easily one of the best on the team, but didn’t get along with people. There wasn’t the same sort of animosity towards her that the more clique like groups showed to Patsy towards Sam and it made her a little jealous now that she thought about it. But Patsy shrugged. She had more important things to think of. There was a message waiting for her and she was very anxious to get to it. Back in her room on her laptop there was someone who was interested in her and wasn’t causing her life to be a pain. It was a connection that had little risk and that was somehow easier for Patsy. To be completely honest, her relationships with Trixie, Barbara, and Cynthia were better than they ever were. Since moving to Massachusetts, she spoke much more honestly with them over messages. There also was the added bonus that they could interpret how her tone was supposed to be more easily. Most people took her reserve as coldness and it was easier to not see that over text. But this new person was someone who didn’t have the past and had much more similar interests. Plus if they turned out to be horrible it was very easy to block them. Good things rarely lasted and that was a truth that Patsy had been educated on time and time again, but for now she would allow herself just that one sliver of hope. There would always be some. She changed quickly, ducking her head to make sure that she didn’t stare at anyone in a way that could possibly make them uncomfortable. Some girls took showers right after practice, but Patsy never did. There was too much of a chance that someone might know. The wrong words or the wrong look could give her away and then they would actually have a reason to hate her. Even though there wasn’t any real reason for them to hate her now, Patsy didn’t want to give them one. 

The ride back home was in someone else’s car today. Her father had found himself caught at work and couldn’t get her. These were the times that he would send one of the random assistants from his office to bring her home. Part of her wished that she could just carpool, but neither Patsy nor her father knew anyone well enough to ask. They were of the same sort of cloth in that way. Neither of them had ever been quick to warm up to strangers. The young man seemed pleasant enough and he chattered away with inane conversation. Mostly what Patsy had to do was smile and nod. Occasionally she would ask a question, if only to keep him talking and for there not to be an overwhelming silence. It was silence that was the enemy. She had far too much of it when she was at home and that’s what she had to look forward to tonight. Her dad was probably going to be working late and so her supper was the leftovers from last night or she could make herself something. Patsy wasn’t all that bad in the kitchen and it was usually pretty well stalked. The thought of taking the time to cook something for herself perked her up. It was easy to do. Just look up a recipe and figure out if she could make it. There was a precision, a science to it, that called to her. So much so that her father joked that Patsy would make a wonderful housewife when she got older. Just for that she had burnt the chicken breast she’d been cooking for him slightly. Not enough to make it inedible, but enough that it wasn’t as tasty. He hadn’t commented. If luck was truly on her side then perhaps her mysterious person was going to be on at the same time and they could actually have a talk. But first, she had to actually get herself food. 

After saying thank you to the assistant, Patsy walked quickly to the back door and slipped the key out of the bottom of the plant. Unlocking the door and tossing her practice bag to the side, Patsy practically ran to her room. She grabbed her laptop and then brought it downstairs. Her normally stoic expression was lighter, maybe even happy. It’s then that she finally reads the message left to her. “You want to know about me? :P Well I suppose fair is fair. You can call me D (my mum is very strict on internet safety) but I’m 17 and I’m a taurus, though only just barely. Not that I really believe in them. Oh I am a girl. That’s probably important for you to know. I don’t want you to think I’m some weird old guy. There isn’t too much to tell. I like swimming, Grey’s Anatomy, Doctor Who, and lots of weird things… I’m really fond of space.” Reading the whole rambling thing, Patsy gave a sort of half laugh and shook her head. D was certainly an interesting character and Patsy was intrigued now. But she had to let the group know. She pulled up Facebook and shot off a message. While she waited for the sound of the blings, she started to take stock in the kitchen. 

P: My anon is a girl. She even had to make a whole blog to talk to me.

It took a little while and Patsy was well on her way to making herself pork chops (and two extra for her father) before the familiar sounds hit her ears. She had to finish up and put them in the oven. The plan was to make some nice greens and rice along with her meal. But first she wanted to know what the girls were saying. 

T: Booo. Though I suppose that’s good for you?

B: Just as long as you don’t replace us!

T: Babs! This girl called our Patsy cute, it might not be friendship she’s after! After all, aren’t most lesbians on tumblr? *nudge nudge wink wink* 

C: I don’t think that’s how it works Trixie. But having a friend on the same time zone might be nice.

T: Either way, it’s exciting! Get it Pats! 

Patsy rolled her eyes at the messages. It was so Trixie. Of course, she had told her friends about her preference, though usually they forgot or didn’t really talk about it that much. It was a weird non issue type deal. But she decided to type them out an answer and then send something to D. Might as well see. 

P: She was probably just being nice and I don't know what time zone she’s on. 

It took her a bit longer to figure out what to say to D, but eventually Patsy typed out a message that she thought wasn’t too overeager. She didn’t want to seem desperate. “Well that was a good start. I swim myself! Just got back from practice actually. Do you watch anything else?” She’d half been tempted to ask about school, but she didn’t want D to think that she was a nerd or anything. Trixie's words were getting to her. Patsy shook her head. She was just excited to make a new friend, that was all. There was probably a few more minutes that she could talk before she had to get the rest of her meal ready so Patsy settled in to hear whatever else was going on in back home. There was still drama about Tom and Cynthia told her about the service work that she’d been doing after school. Patsy read it all, a smile on her face, but her heart ached to be there and be with her friends. She didn’t hate her father for choosing to move them out here, Patsy completely understood it, but god how she wished she was back in London. There was just so much more to do, it had been where she’d grown up, and where her friends, her support system, was. It made the holes in her heart pinch just that little bit more. She sighed and turned her hand back to cooking. Better to clear her head. Rice was easy. Two parts water to one part rice, thick bottomed pan and a small dollop of butter. Pouring the measurements, Patsy had to make sure that her hands remained steady and didn’t shake. It helped. The next thing was the vegetable. Her father had a terrible habit of not buying those at all. Patsy threw open the fridge and was surprised to find that the only thing in there at all that was close to being a green was bok choy. It wasn’t even close to as nutritionally rich as something like spinach, but Patsy was determined to make it work. Honestly, she wasn’t sure why it was there in the first place. It might have to do with her dad’s weird obsession with asian food. But that also meant that she had teriyaki sauce. Steam up the bok choy and throw some of the sauce on top and that should be good. It was busy work, but Patsy went ahead with it. The others had to go to sleep soonish and D hadn’t sent her a reply yet. There was no reason not too. 

After a satisfying meal and wrapping up the leftovers for her father, Patsy took her stuff back upstairs. She flopped down on her bed and let the feeling of her food settling in her stomach be the only thing that she felt. Sometimes she wished that she wasn’t quite so understanding of all of the things that her father did. Perhaps if she could bring herself to get angry, that might have fixed things. Well, not everything. It wouldn’t bring back her mother or her sister. Fuck. Patsy wiped at her eyes and took in a few deep breaths. Shit. This is why she hated silence. Rolling over, Patsy flicked up her computer screen and quickly pulled up youtube. She automatically typed in CinimaSins and clicked on one of their videos. Their type of humor and the constant noise would hopefully help prevent her from thinking about the things that she very much did not want to be thinking about. It took a few more deep deep breaths and two more videos before Patsy felt close to being normal again. It took another before she could think about doing anything else. She had to take a shower. Scooping up her laptop, Patsy made her way to the bathroom. The fans in there worked well enough, so she could play music. It helped. It helped her to ignore the way her hands shook slightly as she turned on the water and shed her clothes. In the same way she could pretend that the shiver was from the cold air on her body. She let herself then get lost in the feeling of the water. It was so hot that it almost stung and that made it better. The heat made her feel actually alive. So did the deep thrum of the music ringing in the acoustically challenged bathroom. Patsy scrubbed away at her skin, trying to carry on through the turmoil. She scrubbed vigorously at her scalp, making sure to get the color safe shampoo as deep into her hair as possible. Precision was key. Making sure that everything was done properly. It helped. It helped to fall into her normal. 

The shower pushed Patsy past the worst of it. So she returned to her room, music still on and going strong. There wasn’t anything due for her classes before study hall. Not that she felt like doing homework. Instead Patsy hoped that there would be something to keep her occupied. Tumblr usually helped. She clicked and her heart, though still wounded and fragile as it felt, jumped a little with happiness. A message from D. “Sorry to take ages, I’m still getting used to this, plus my mum wanted help with supper. I watch a lot of Saturday Night Live actually. It isn’t really a fandom, but I like the humor. My favorite sketch is the one about Maya Angelou. You should watch it. Though I don’t know if I’m allowed to link it here. Though I’m also rather fond of Top Gear. I hope you had a good day today. I’ve really been looking forward to these all day.” 

Patsy gave a small snort at the well wishes, but D meant well. She couldn’t have known. “I love Top Gear!” She wrote. It felt false and deceitful. Patsy deleted it and started again. “Tbh I am not having the best day today. Getting messages from you has been something I really look forward to as well.” That was all. She hit send. 

She had only been scrolling for a few minutes when a response came. “I’m sorry to hear you aren’t having the best day. Do you like hugs? I’ve been told mine are quite good. You don’t have to tell me why, but do let me know if there is anything I can do to help.” 

“I think you can send me links? Since I’m the one who’s sending you messages. Give me SNL clips, please?” It sounded so pathetic, but Patsy was desperate and she really wanted to feel better. She hoped that D wouldn’t make fun of her. A song she didn’t like came on and Patsy quickly clicked it away. Then she waited. It took a lot of effort to not refresh every couple of seconds. Hope eventually comes when the message icon pops back up. 

“Hold on,” read the new message. “This is going to take me a little bit. I take my comedy seriously.” It made Patsy give a sigh of relief. Funny, she hadn’t known that she had been that worried. Even though it was early, Patsy decided to change into her pajamas while she was waiting and then said fuck it and brushed her teeth too. When she returned hopefully there would be something interesting to watch. Not that she really had expectations. Even if she had, they would have been exceeded when she returned. D had sent not just clips, but suggested episodes as well. They were available on Netflix. Patsy tucked into bed and started with the clips. They were shorter and D’s personal favorites so they meant more. 

When she started on the full episodes, Patsy sent another short message to D. “Thanks. The clips helped. I’m probably going to watch these episodes now. I’d like to talk more on a better day though.” Then she set her laptop to the side and started an episode. It was Amy Adams who was hosting. Patsy had always thought she was beautiful. Eventually, the tiredness of the emotional upheaval and the normal exhaustion from practice caught up to her. It was probably halfway through the 3rd episode when Patsy found herself falling asleep. When her father finally got home and checked on her, that’s how he found her. Curled up around her laptop, with gentle laughter coming from it every so often. He carefully shut her laptop and then flicked off the light. It was the least that he could do. He could tell that this had been a hard day for her. Usually she was still up and doing work at this time of night. With that, he closed the door. The weekend would be there soon and maybe he could take her to see a movie or something. Just a little something to thank her for being so strong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, D is Delia. And yeah Patsy's mom and sister are dead. We'll learn more about what happens to them later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delia finally makes an appearance IRL!

The next day passes without much to note. It’s a boringly typical day with all the normal worries. There aren’t as many messages from D or from the girls across the ocean. Sometimes that happens. The best part was really D writing to Patsy to give her well wishes and to let her know that she’d be ready to talk when Patsy was. She left it at that. Patsy didn’t want to spoil a new friendship by weighing it down with her problems. So she left herself be distant for now. At the very least she was good at that. Instead, Patsy channeled herself into work. It was the most logical thing to be done. In fact, she didn’t really talk to anyone really. She knew it was a bad idea. Her therapist, who she always saw on Thursdays, also commented on it. Dr. Julienne even encouraged her to reach out to D. “Even the most fleeting connections can help us move on,” she’d said. It had taken a large effort for Patsy not to roll her eyes. She didn’t want to move on. The only thing that really helped was practice. Being in the pool where there was never any silence, even when you were under the water, made her feel better. There was a reason and a purpose to her being there and Patsy could push herself as far as she needed to in order to be able to survive. So long as she held herself together and kept on going, kept swimming, it would all sort itself out. She held on this way through the weekend. 

It was Sunday when Cynthia sent Patsy a message, wondering why she hadn’t heard from her. D had sent her a message as well. That’s when Patsy knew that she was probably worrying people. So she re-engaged. It did feel a bit better to talk to Cynthia, who was always so understanding, and with D, Patsy wound up finding herself being more honest that she thought she’d be. “Hey, thanks for checking in. I do find that every so often I feel down…lost my mom and sister awhile ago so still sort of dealing with that. But I’m feeling much better!” Even though she didn’t want to be a burden, she didn’t want to lie…much. She felt that her own emotions were far too fragile to have someone say that the couldn’t deal with it. It was even worse when D was absolutely sweet and simply offered her more SNL clips if she wanted them. It seemed that she’d worried around nothing. Even though her father had talked about going out, work had gotten in the way and Patsy had found herself alone again. Her companions were her homework, SNL, and D occasionally. The other girl was catching up on her homework too, but Patsy still appreciated 

It isn't until Monday's practice that things really change. The other team was here. For the most part, Patsy didn't really notice them, but there was this one girl who's laugh seemed to echo throughout the whole pool. Normally that sort of thing would have been annoying as the acoustics of a pool made sounds become very weird, but the girl's laugh was light and it was nice. Patsy shifted on the bench, not really sure why exactly she was paying attention to something like that. Still, she could not help her eyes being draw to the other girl. She was short, but her body was built extremely well. Patsy found herself wondering what exactly was her hair color as it was tucked very neatly under her cap. She didn't really know that she was staring until Sam, who had taken a spot next to her, elbowed her again. Patsy nearly jumped and turned to look at the person next to her with something reminiscent of annoyance. "Scoping out the competition?" Sam asked, trying to hold back a small grin and failing. 

"I don't have any idea what you mean," Patsy replied with a huff. She can't help it, the embarrassment and fear that perhaps Sam would make connections and tell the others was now starting to rear it's head. It wasn't like she was interested in anyone at all anyways. 

Sam rolled her eyes. "Sure. I mean you looked pretty serious when you were gazing over at the other team. Coach said that we had to be nice." Patsy, for her part, merely fastened her lips into a line and did her best to glare at Sam. She wasn't sure what the other girl was really getting at and there were some implications that she didn't want to be confirmed. This seemed to do nothing but amuse Sam who shook her head. "Well you don't have to worry, she's not even in your style. She's in mine. That's Delia Busby, their ace from across the ocean. But don't worry, you'll always be our favorite Brit." With that, Sam patted Patsy on the back and started to walk to the pool. Since there was two teams, the two coaches had decided that the best way to train was to have them do mini heats against on another today and then divide the space. They were just doing short 100 meter races, down and back. These were supposed to be encouraging competitive spirit apparently. Sam got up onto her starting block and waited. To Patsy and her surprise, Delia ended up right next to her. Since it wasn't her style, Patsy used the opportunity to continue her observations. If Delia didn't bleach or die her hair then it seemed that she was a brunette. Not that that really mattered at all. 

It was evidently clear who was better once the whistle was blown. Both Delia and Sam shot out neatly, their dives already putting them ahead. As they then rose back to the surface, arms and legs moving together to propel them both forward. Sam may have had a longer reach, but Delia was the one with more power. She took the lead, though Sam wasn't far behind, and Patsy found herself cheering for the other team just a little bit on the inside. The turn at the wall gave Sam another leg up, but the two were just about neck and neck when they got through the halfway point. But it's Delia who pulls away, getting enough distance so that Sam's reach doesn't even come close to the wall. She does look pleased that she's won, but when Sam hits the wall, Delia smiled and moved over to the ropes, extending a hand. Sam takes it and grins back at her, saying something about finally finding someone to work with. It makes Delia laugh again, that makes Patsy want to smile. The two start to pull themselves out of the pool and Patsy finds herself walking up to them, offering a towel to each. Both Sam and Delia look gratefully at her and reach over saying thanks. It's then that Patsy can hear Delia's accent. 

"You're from Wales?" she asks her curiosity getting the better of her. 

Delia's face lights up and she grinned up at Patsy. "I am! You aren't though." 

"London," Patsy supplied quickly. It was so strange to have someone else who knew. 

"Ah, I see," Delia nodded her head and continued to wrap the towel around herself. "I wasn't quite sure. How long have you been in the area?" 

"Just got here in the summer, actually." 

"Oh gosh! That's not very long at all. You must miss it. I haven't been to the UK since I was 12. Dad got a job over here ages ago. I've only been to London once and I barely remember it." Delia then moved, reaching out and gently guiding Patsy back over to the bench by her elbow. "Are you going to be racing soon? If not, I want to have a good long chat about how all these bloody Americans have absolutely no class." She called that last sentence out at one of the new girls that Patsy didn't recognize. In response the girl stuck her tongue out at Delia. 

"At least we aren't completely obsessed with tea," the girl shoots back. Delia laughed and Patsy felt a bit awkward standing next to her. She seemed so well adjusted and got along easily with the other girls on her team. Her eyes were also a beautiful shade of blue. That revelation meant that Patsy really wasn’t paying attention to much else and quite nearly walked into Coach Crane who was coming over to give Sam some pointers. Delia gave another laugh as Patsy apologized and sheepishly moved back to the other girl. Despite all the swimming, Patsy was still growing into her body and that often made her feel more awkward than she meant to be. 

Delia just shook her head and then gazed up at Patsy expectantly. It’s then that she realizes that Delia had asked her a question. “Oh, I’m in the last heat, so I’ve a lot of time before I get to go.”

There is another brilliant smile directed towards Patsy. “Then that gives me plenty of time to know you then!” Her heart gave a bit of a weird flutter and Patsy just nodded. It was a full couple of seconds before she realized that Delia had said something else and a faint blush from embarrassment. 

“Sorry, it’s hard to hear with the echoes.” It was a rotten excuse, but besides the small upwards motion of one of Delia’s eyebrows, Patsy got away with it. 

“Let’s go sit down and chat where it’s easier to hear then shall we?” That time, Patsy wasn’t completely distracted by Delia’s face and so she nodded. There was enough space left of the benches by the pool so they each took a spot. Delia leaned back slightly, one arm falling to prop herself up. “So what brings you over to the States?” 

That was an easy and difficult question all at once, but Patsy just smiled and answered. “My father works for a consulting firm that’s expanding to American start ups in Boston. So he brought me along.” Her smile grows a little tight on the edges as she looks for any of the signs of pity. There aren’t any. Instead, Delia just seems to tilt her head slightly and actually seems to be waiting for more. It’s a fact that’s so surprising that Patsy feels a bit embarrassed that she even “It was a little surprising and the visa process was terrible, but we have a super huge house here. Way bigger than anything back in London.” 

Delia’s head bobs in agreement and she hummed, thinking. “I don’t really remember what the process was like. But I hear you on the bigger. I’ve gotten used to it now, but the portions in restaurants is absolutely ridiculous. Getting rid of the calories is why I started swimming.” There is a dashing smile and Patsy found herself laughing at the joke, at least she hoped that it was a joke. The rest of the conversation continued like that. Delia would say something clever and Patsy would agree, laugh and then try to say something that she hoped was relevant. It felt so good to talk to someone and have it be about things that were just normal. Of course she could do that with D too and that thought made Patsy feel a little guilty for not talking to her friend more. But here was a real live person who seemed interested in her for whatever reason. That was nice enough. Before she knew it, it was time for her heat. She didn’t do badly, but she wasn’t the best either. Still it was satisfying to compete. Patsy pulled herself out of the pool and was greeted by a towel being shoved at her. She took it and smiled at Delia. “Figured I’d return the favor.” 

“Thanks.” Patsy couldn’t help but give a little grin. 

“Do you think I could get your number?” Delia asked, moving closer to Patsy to get out of the way of someone who was walking past. “I’d like to get to know you and talk to someone who can complain with me about Americans.” Patsy manages to nod without seeming overly eager. She can’t help but be distracted by the closeness of the other girl and her eyes can’t help falling to take in Delia’s form in her swimsuit. If Delia noticed, she was kind enough to not mention it. Instead her hand comes up to Patsy’s elbow again and tugs her away from the pool. “Come on then.” Patsy finds herself walking next to Delia as they move towards the lockers. If there was time to think about how weird it was that she felt this easy with the other girl, this wasn’t it. Instead, Patsy wants to talk or say something. She wants to seem clever, but her mind isn’t quite coming up with anything. Instead she just follows in silence, a polite smile on her face. This is how she’d ended up not having friends again. At first they had seemed nice and Patsy got tongue tied and nervous which lead to them thinking that she was stuck up. Honestly she wasn’t. Most of the time it was that she was terrible at talking to pretty girls and this time it was even worse because she was so starved for attention and Delia was absolutely gorgeous. Never had she felt like a more useless lesbian in her life. Somehow they reached a locker without Patsy walking into anything or her saying something completely inane. The connection that it must be Delia’s locker only clicks in when the other girl bends down and opens it. Patsy’s face must look somewhat strained because when Delia looks up, hers becomes concerned. “Are you alright?” 

“What? Yes I’m fine,” Patsy replied. She tries to give a sort of smile to reassure Delia. 

“Then you are still capable of typing in your number?” Delia teased, holding up the phone she’d wrangled from her bag. 

Taking the iPhone Patsy gives Delia an amused look. “I’ll see if I can conjure up the mental capacity.” She isn’t so far gone that she can’t hold her own, but once Patsy has typed her number into the phone and looks up, it takes a lot for her not to stare. Thank god for years of practice. Delia had decided to change while she waited for Patsy to type in her number and while it may have been a thing that other girls did, Patsy was still thrown off by it. It didn’t mean anything, she told herself. Plenty of straight girls changed in front of each other and it meant absolutely nothing. Plus she’d only just met Delia today. Respecting the other girl’s privacy, Patsy puts her back to the lockers and stares at the yellowing paint on the wall. But then the phone is grabbed from her hand and Delia is looking at her. “I’ll send you a text, go put my name in, ok?” 

“Right,” Patsy agreed. Then she moved to her own locker. It was a few rows down as she had gotten there earlier. It’s then that she finds her breath. The rest is just easy. Opening up her locker, Patsy riffled through her clothes to find her phone. She snorts at the sunglasses emoji that Delia sent her and just adds the number to her contacts. Since she was there already, Patsy figures she might as well change. About halfway through pulling up her pants, there is movement that catches her peripheral vision and Patsy looks over. Standing there is Delia. Getting surprised with one’s leg halfway through a pair of jeans is not a recommended activity. Patsy finds herself sort of losing balance and she stumbles, nearly hitting her head on the metal locker before finally catching herself and managing to pull her pants the full way up in one fell swoop. “I’m alright!” 

She’s delight to hear Delia give a low laugh. If anything her awkwardness was useful for that. “I was just coming to let you know that I have to go talk to my coach and I probably won’t see you until next practice. Didn’t want you to think I abandoned you. Send me a text later?” 

Patsy nods and smooths her hair with one hand. “Sure.” She smiled and picked up her shirt. If she wasn’t mistaken, Delia’s eyes had flickered downwards for a few moments. “It was lovely to meet you.” 

“Yeah. Catch you around.” Delia grinned at her and then turned to leave. Patsy stood there for a moment, shirt in her hands. Had she been flirting? It isn’t clear. But there is a bang as other lockers start to open and so she quickly pulls on her shirt and shuffles to the front of the school to wait for her father. 

Patsy spends most of the car ride playing over the whole interaction in her head. This is something that she has to run by other people because she can’t make either heads or tails of it. When she gets home, Patsy posts on tumblr and sends the girls a message. It’s the exact same one in both places. 

P: How do you know when someone is flirting with you?

T: !!!??!?!?!

B: Oh my god!

T: Well…it is more difficult when it’s a woman with another woman. There is so much that we do just normally that with a guy it’s obvious flirting. 

B: True. Tell us more details, Patsy!

P: Well…there is a swim team from another school district that’s joining us for practice because their pool needs work. And they have a Welsh girl who’s an absolute ace in the water. She had a competition with our best swimmer and won. But she just seemed to be really interested in me, after she realized I was from the UK. 

C: Sounds like she wanted to relate to someone who would get it so far…

P: But then she maybe asked for my number and changed in front of me?

B: Look at you, Patsy! You leave us for a few months and become an absolute killer. 

T: Not too hasty now, that is still possibly a friend thing. I’ve changed in front of all of you plenty of times.

B: You may be bi, but we know you aren’t interested in us. 

T: That you know of!

C: Trixie, you’ve made it very clear. Several times before. 

T: Well…you may have a point. But still!

P: I don’t know. I’m sure I made a complete fool of myself either way.

C: Oh don’t say that, you are a lovely friend and if it was flirting, I’m sure she’ll find you absolutely endearing. 

P: Thank you Cynthia. I just don’t want to get it wrong. She seems really nice. 

T: Nice as in mum’s bridge club nice, or nice as in hot?

P: Don’t go quoting lesbian movies at me!

T: Who me?

B: What movie?

P: Aptly titled, “I can’t think straight”

T: It’s simply amazing. You should watch it with Tom some time. 

B: Just because he prefers me, doesn’t mean you need to make silly suggestions. :P

T: Whatever. 

C: As you can see, we have our own drama going on. 

T: It isn’t drama! It’s… it is… Well it is rather settled, but I’m still heartbroken. 

P: Of course you are Trixie. 

The rest of the conversation falls back to good natured teasing and Patsy never really gets any sort of answer at all. She falls back to her pillow with a huff as the rest of the gang said their good nights. Sadly, she still had a few hours on which to stew about this problem. She clicks onto a new MDK and watches the humor of Hannah Hart for a good couple of minutes. It makes her feel a little bit better. Whatever it was, it didn’t really matter. Then she remembered that she promised to send Delia a text message. Patsy made a face and decided that tumblr was a better option. It’s then that she realizes that she has a message. She clicks threw and a smile appears when she sees that it’s from D. Though the message itself makes her raise an eyebrow. “If you have to ask if it’s flirting, then it probably is. Though I thought that I was being fairly obvious.” Patsy blinks. The connection made a bit of sense, but surely that was far too much of a coincidence. She pulls out her phone and sends a quick text. 

“Delia?” 

It doesn’t take too long till she gets a message back. “Hello you!”

“Are you my former tumblr stalker?” 

“Guilty as charged I’m afraid. Sorry for not telling you, but I didn’t think you’d want me to shout it out when there was someone else there. And it was quite a surprise. At first I didn’t recognize you.” 

Patsy purses her lips. She wants to be mad, but she really can’t. She now has a name and a face to the person who had been a lovely support and good friend to her for the past couple of weeks. Then there is another implication. “It’s alright. Though have you been flirting with me?” 

“If I say yes, will that get me in trouble?” 

“No, it would clear up your intentions for certain.” 

“Then yes, I was. Just a little bit. Can’t help it when faced with someone so pretty. :)” Reading those words, Patsy can't help the giggle that happens. It’s a bit embarrassing that it actually happened out loud, but then there is another buzz. “See, I had been trying not to come on too strong on tumblr as I didn’t know how far away you were. But we’re just about half an hour away!” 

“That’s true. Though we still haven’t known each other for very long, all interaction totaled.” 

“No, but I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I’d like to think we are friends, I just also happen to enjoy making you blush. ;)” 

“:P I have to head to supper, talk to you later.” With that, Patsy sets down her phone. She has a wide grin on her face. It seems that she’d finally been able to make a friend and one that thought that she was pretty. That last part was a little new, but she was excited to just get to know Delia now that they both knew who they were. It felt a lot more equal. After supper, Patsy spent time texting Delia while finishing up her homework. Their interactions over tumblr easily translated and they fell into discussing theories about who was going to be the next companion to the Doctor. It felt so good to have someone who shared her interests. Delia made her feel like her opinion was important and she never seemed to mind it when Patsy needed to take time to think things through. For the first time in quite a long time, Patsy found herself getting tired before midnight. When she finally wished Delia good night and tucked herself into bed, Patsy fell asleep feeling relaxed and actually looking forward to what the next day contained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are moving along nicely! I'm on spring break now, so hopefully I can update more...but who knows.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We move away from solely from Patsy's perspective and the girls have a sleepover.

She should have known that her friends weren’t going to be helpful for this. Delia was coming over after practice this weekend and Patsy was nervous. It had been a little over a week since Delia had revealed herself and they’d had a flurry of texts and tumblr messages back and forth. While they couldn’t always be around each other during practice, after the first day it was back to insane amounts of work, there would always be a little moment of Delia bringing Patsy a towel, or Patsy managing to be the first to congratulate Delia on a new time. Delia’s natural charm seemed not only to work on Patsy as her entire team was begrudgingly enthralled. Even the girls who didn’t really like Patsy had badgered her for information about Delia, namely why she was so good at swimming. She hadn't really known, but Patsy was happy to have a friend. It had been such a remarkable thing that her father had suggested she come over on Friday and sleepover. In fact, she was convinced that he was more excited about this than she was. Her dad had bought snacks that normally he never got and made sure that the fridge was well stocked. He’d even said they could sleep in the tv room as there was a pull out couch and that’s where the Wii U was. “Patsy, I am so proud that you are finally settling in, I know you are like me so getting used to new places is hard,” he’d said last night over the steak, potatoes, and green beans that Patsy had cooked. She’d just shaken her head and replied that it was nothing. Truthfully she still wasn’t pleased to be here, but having someone who was a friend made it easier. Which is why she was currently in an argument on her phone while she waited for Delia to change and grab her stuff. 

T: Kiss her!!! Go on a date!! She’s already flirted with you a few times, so she’s interested! Honestly Patsy, if I was you, I’d grab the opportunity. And some other things.

C: Trixie!

T: Just saying, I’ve seen a picture of Delia and she’s simply adorable. And very well built.

B: There is still the case where the flirting is just her personality. 

P: Regardless of whether she’s interested or not, I don’t want to risk her hating me. I don’t want to seem like a predatory lesbian. 

T: The day someone calls you that, is the day that they mistake a puppy for a full grown horse. I still say you should go for it. 

P: I don’t want to lose my only friend here!

B: Wouldn’t you be lesbi-friends instead? :P

P: Barbara!!

B: What? It’d be funny if Trixie did it. 

C: We’re getting off topic. Patsy, just have a conversation before you do anything. If she just wants to be friends then say you’re happy with that. There will plenty of other chances to be in a relationship later.

P: Thank you for some rational advice Cynthia. I have to go.

Shutting off her phone, Patsy fidgeted slightly, her fingers tapping the now dark screen. No doubt Trixie would be bothering her for updates every hour at least until she went to bed, but Patsy didn’t want to have to deal with that. Truthfully, she was more than a little nervous to have Delia over. She’d done this all the time with her friend in London, but it was different here, so she felt. There was this unknown factor with Delia of what else they could be to each other. Additionally there was the factor that her father didn’t know about Patsy’s preferences. She was marginally terrified that there was going to be something that she’d do or say that would cause him to realize she was gay. With their relationship being so strained, Patsy have never really had the bravery to tell him. It was doubtful that he would react poorly, but the small chance was enough that it made her pause. Her mind latched onto these thoughts and Patsy wasn’t really paying attention, so when a hand was gently placed on her shoulder, she jumped slightly. “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Delia’s warm smile was directed at her and the fears that had been running through Patsy’s mind faded. 

“No worries, I was just lost in thought. My father should be here soon. Do be warned, he is very excited to meet you.” 

Even though she had just been warning Delia, those words caused that wonderful laugh that Patsy enjoyed causing. “I think I can handle it.” The hand on Patsy’s shoulder fell and Delia pulled Patsy in for a side hug. “I can be very charming you know. Most of my friend’s parents think I am positively wonderful.” That statement made Patsy roll her eyes and Delia gave a teasing gasp. “Excuse you, Patience Mount, but I am a god damn delight.” 

“If that’s what helps you sleep at night,” Patsy teased back. Delia just shakes her head and lets go of Patsy so that she can cross her arms. “Awww, I’m sorry, did I touch a nerve?” She pockets her phone and then reaches over to poke Delia’s side. There isn't much of a reaction, but Delia’s cheek puff slightly and the sight is so funny that Patsy can’t stop a low chuckle from falling from her lips. Then a thought occurred to her. “Are you ticklish at all Delia?” 

The other girl backed up at once and tried her best to give a reproachful stare. “You stay away from me with those sorts of thoughts, or I will retaliate.” Patsy shook her head and just raised her hands in defeat. She wasn’t going to be that asshole who made her friend uncomfortable. Delia just narrowed her eyes and cautiously moved back towards Patsy. “I’m watching you,” she threatened, though the light in her eyes certainly diminished the threat. They carried on in an amiable truce until Patsy’s father pulled up. Though it didn’t usually bother her, this time the auspicious Audi that her father drove made Patsy’s lips fall into a line. She didn’t like to stand out and this was anything but hidden. Delia did look more than a little impressed. 

“Hello ladies! Looks like your chauffeur has finally made it,” Patsy’s father called out as he rolled down the window. “Pop on in!”

“Thank you Mr. Mount,” Delia said as she slid into the backseat of the car. Though normally she was much louder and animated, when it came to interacting with an adult she wanted to impress, she was all politeness. 

Patsy’s father shook his head, blonde hair ruffling with the motion. “Please just call me Ernest, I was never really comfortable with the formalities.” He waits until the two girls are settled in the back seat of the car and then pulls away. “Want to put on some tunes Pats?” He asked, tossing the aux cable to his daughter. There might have been a glare at the nickname, but she doesn’t comment and instead puts her head together with Delia to pick out something from her music. Eventually some pop tune comes across the speakers. From Ernest’s limited knowledge, he assumes that it is probably Taylor Swift. Not his personal choice, but the two in the back were smiling so he wouldn’t be saying anything about it. “So Delia, I hear you are from Wales originally?” 

Delia nodded. “That’s right, my family moved out here when I was 12. Haven’t been back since.” 

“Not that she’s really missing out on much,” Patsy stated. Her father could barely contain the eyebrow raise. That was something that he wouldn’t heard come out of her mouth a few weeks ago. He’d known that she missed London. Clearly Delia had done more good than he’d realized. 

“Well I always liked visiting Cardiff on business, one of the more beautiful places to my mind.” He gave a wide smile at the rearview mirror. Delia gave one back. “So, I don’t know what you are used to for supper, but I’m an absolutely terrible chef. We can do pizza, Chinese, Indian, or anything really.”

Patsy chimed in again. “Honestly, Dad, I told you. We are doing homemade pizza. I already made the dough and it should be all done rising by 6. You even got the various toppings. We were at the store together!” 

“Right,” he said, shaking his head. “Sorry sweetie.”

“Just reminding you.” 

“I don’t think I’ve made my own pizza in ages!” Delia, seemingly oblivious to the parent/teenager interaction, spoke up with excitement. This defused whatever thing Patsy was going to say next and she seemed content to fall back to DJing. An easy silence fell between them all and the rest of the drive was only punctuated by the music and the rumble of the other cars on the road. They reached the Mount’s house a few songs later and the sight was something to take in. Delia couldn’t help herself from sitting up just a little bit straighter when the hedges of the other houses in the neighborhood came into view. The driveway was at the far end of the street and was a very long oval roundabout for easy access in and out of the house. It wasn’t as big as some of the other ones, but it was still a sight. Ernest parked next to the flower bed and gestured for the girls to get out. The white washed wood seemed to rise as they walked closer and Delia felt herself swallow. She’d never felt like there was that much difference between her and Patsy until just now. Things seemed to have such a precision and place of where they belonged. It made her a little unsure of where she fit in. But Patsy looked over and gave her a smile and those doubts went away. Still, Delia trailed behind Ernest and Patsy. She wanted to observe the place and them. 

They were a bit of an odd pair. Though Ernest certainly her father, their faces had the same expressivity and their eyes practically matched. She knew that Patsy’s hair was dyed. There were several pictures on tumblr and Facebook (they had added each other there too) that attested to that. So they shared the blonde hair as well. Patsy stood almost a head taller than him. This wasn’t something that she’d noticed until they’d gotten out of the car and stood on the porch, waiting for Ernest to unlock the door. He was closer to Delia’s height than Patsy’s. The only conclusion was that Patsy’s mother had been a giant or the genes Patsy had received had been particularly kind. Still, it was amusing to watch as Patsy practically instructed her father to go find the extra sheets and make the bed in the living room. Patsy then turned to her and gave her and pointed her to the downstairs bathroom, just to the right of the stairs. They’d wash the chlorine off and then make the pizzas. With her marching orders given, Delia went about following them. There was an extra towel in the cabinet in there. It was a relief to be told what to do. That was always one of the hard things about visiting a new house, people had their own routines and having someone new tended to disrupt them. Delia tried to spend as much time out of her house as possible so she’d gotten used to adapting. The bathroom floor was warm to the touch of her feet and she’d kept her bag with a change of clothes on her. Letting herself enjoy the warm water, Delia resolved to not worry about things and just enjoy getting to be in Patsy’s home. 

For her part, Patsy was trying her best not to panic. The way that she coped with any sort of negative emotions when there was other people around was to take charge. She didn’t care about her father’s opinion, but Delia’s was unknown. The brunette had seemed glad to be given something to do. Patsy hadn’t had to get to know her friends parents for ages. Trixie had been her friend since she was in preschool and Cynthia had followed right along. Barbara had moved to their school district when they were all in third grade. Their parents had either known each other or lived close enough that the whole crew would just show up to their house. There wasn’t any of that familiarity here. Both Delia and Patsy were laying down new bricks to the foundation of their friendship. Patsy sighed and just carried on. By the time that she was showered, clothed, and had her hair dry, things seemed to be just fine. There was no point in really worrying about it. Delia wasn’t the type to be silent when something really bothered her. Patsy wandered back downstairs and saw that the bathroom door was open. Clearly Delia had already finished. Since the living room was closest, Patsy went there. It was a lucky guess as Delia had decided to help her father to make the pull out bed on the couch. One of them was far more competent than the other and Patsy leaned on the piano stationed in the hallway to watch. 

“Ernest, you have to tuck the sheet under the mattress first,” Delia said, her voice bordering on exasperation. He had been going to grab the comforter, leaving a corner unfinished. Clearly he’d been hoping to get away with it. 

“Right….” He ended up just kind of shoving it under the corner and Delia didn’t bother to check. Together they threw the last layer on and Patsy clapped her hands. The two jumped. 

With a snort Patsy points behind her. “If you two are done with that, then we have pizzas to make.” Delia gave a slight fist pump and moved away from the bed. Patsy’s father just sighed. He really didn’t enjoy being worse at parental things than two teenage girls, but he supposed that having someone who knew how to do it was better than no one. From his position of bringing up the rear, he was able to observe how Patsy just seemed to relax around Delia. They were talking to each other and he tried best not to eavesdrop, but his eyes couldn’t hide the fact that Patsy was smiling much wider, laughing slightly. Even during the whole pizza making operation, he noticed how Delia got away with teasing Patsy. Even he got in trouble nowadays. But she seemed happy and that settled some of the unease in his chest. The fact that Delia lived in another town wasn’t as much of a problem and if it would help Patsy then he’d drive for hours to make it happen. 

The pizza’s were made and eaten. One sausage and mushroom and one green pepper and onion. The tastes of the three of them were surprisingly similar, though there was a debate over how much sauce to use. In the end, Delia ended up winning and sauce was put as close to the edges as possible. It had been a good meal with good conversation, but Ernest didn’t want to get in the way too much, so he took his leave upstairs. Normally he preferred to do some of his left over work in the study, but that was directly attached to the living room and the girls would be watching movies so it wouldn’t be as peaceful as it usually was. With the last warning to keep it down after 10, he left. 

“So…” Patsy intoned trying to play it cool. “Do you want to watch a movie or something?” 

Delia tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Or something? What would that entail?”

That was a question that Patsy had been hoping that Delia wouldn’t ask. She didn’t really have an answer. “Umm… well I know it can be a bit exhausting after practice, so honestly I’d be happy with sitting and scouring the internet with you. I doubt you brought your computer, but I’m fine with sharing.” 

An eyebrow went up at the suggestion and Patsy was almost going to take it back before Delia spoke. “If you don’t mind prying eyes then I’d be happy to relax for awhile. Though I do want to watch something after. You can’t invite a girl to a sleepover and then skimp on the classic amusements.” 

“You can check out the dvd rack by the bed you made for whatever you want to watch later. I promise to differ to your judgement. I’ll be right back though.” With that, Patsy went to fetch her laptop. When she returned, Delia was sitting on the bed. She’d thought that the girl would have been looking at the dvds, so Patsy raised an eyebrow. 

Delia scooted back and patted the spot next to her. “If you were hoping to know what we were watching in advance, then you are going to have to be disappointed.” 

“I trust that your taste is good enough.” Patsy climbed on the bed and leaned on the remnants of the couch. Almost immediately Delia was next to her, making sure to settle in. Unsure of exactly what would be best, Patsy just quickly typed in her password and pulled up facebook. Unsurprisingly there were about a dozen messages from Trixie and since they were probably all about Delia, Patsy quickly exited the page. 

“You’re popular,” Delia murmured. 

“Friends from across the ocean,” Patsy noted. “I’ll deal with them later. Want to watch something on youtube?” 

“Sounds perfect.” Delia brought up a channel that Patsy hadn’t been to before. “Here, these two are hilarious. And they are married!” She hadn’t heard of Rose and Rosie before, but Delia’s analysis of them being hilarious was certainly true. It was hard for Patsy not to read into the choice of two married women being Delia’s choice in entertainment, but it was probably best not to think too hard about it. So obviously that’s exactly what her brain decided to do. The logic went that Delia had already said that she’d flirted with her. Was this part of that or was she just trying to show Patsy something that she found interesting? Did it mean that Delia thought of them as more than friends? These thoughts made Patsy much more painfully aware of how close Delia was. Just a few more inches and her head could easily be falling on Patsy’s shoulder. The heat of her body was causing Patsy to sweat a little more than usual and sometimes Delia would turn and lean in to point at something on the screen which would press her chest into Patsy’s arm. All and all it left Patsy more flustered than not. Eventually she was able to stop thinking too much about it. Sort of. 

The dilemma that Patsy found herself in didn’t really stop when they finally got around to watching the movie that Delia had chosen. She had picked probably one of the least interesting movies that her father owned. But if Delia was a fan of Lord of the Rings than Patsy wasn’t going to argue. Halfway through, she found herself drooping. Practice had been hard and the added stress of wanting to impress Delia had finally started to hit her. That and now that she wasn’t worrying, Patsy felt very comfortable around Delia. There was a low chuckle and Patsy’s head shot up again. “Sorry…” she murmured. “It seems that I’m more tired than I thought I was.” 

“Not a problem. We’ll have to skip the pillow fight part. Go get changed and you can just fall asleep while I watch this alright?” 

“Right,” Patsy agreed. It doesn’t take her very long to grab her pjs and get changed. The slightly too big plaid pajamas made her feel a bit awkward, but Delia’s face lit up when she saw her. Delia’s own pjs were basically a tank top and pants. It perfectly showed off Delia’s arm muscles and Patsy had to tell herself not to stare. “Are you sure you won’t get cold?” she asked as she retook her place next to Delia. 

“I should be alright. Besides, you are hot enough that if I get cold I can steal some warmth off of you.” That caused Patsy to blush and she busied herself with pulling up the sheets. After she was settled in, Delia hit play again. She hadn’t needed to pause, but the thought was nice. It meant that she didn’t want Patsy to miss anything. Despite the fact that Patsy was subjected to the movies at least once every few years. Still, it was the thought that counted. It took some time before Patsy started to feel herself growing sleepy again. Part of her felt bad, but then Delia shifted and allowed Patsy to place her head on her shoulder. An arm went around her and Patsy let herself snuggle in closer. It was a little bit sneaky, but she enjoyed being allowed to close to Delia. She’d read somewhere that a human being needed at least 5 touches a day in order to be alright and she was probably coming in very below that quota. The flashes and cries of battle on the screen did sometimes rouse her, but eventually Patsy found herself falling completely asleep. The last thought that crossed her mind is that hopefully she wouldn’t drool on Delia’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure if she could live that one down. There were things that one could recover from at the start of a friendship, but that wasn’t one of them. 

When the movie finally ended, Delia very carefully slid herself out from Patsy’s weight. She made sure to take the dvd out and put it away before shifting her friend down to an actual sleeping position. Very gently, she brushed some of the hair away from Patsy’s face and smiled. This was one of the best nights she’d had in awhile and part of her wished that they lived closer together so it could become a thing. “Thank you,” she whispered before leaning over to press a very very gentle kiss to Patsy’s forehead. When she was sleeping, she looked so peaceful. Often, Delia found herself wondering what was going through Patsy’s mind. Her face was so expressive, but often the words that looked like they should go with it didn’t come. “I wish you would tell me…I want to know what’s going on in there.” But hopefully with time would come that trust, so Delia just moved under the covers. She was trying to be respectful and stay more than an arms distance away, but Patsy moved a lot in her sleep. Delia found herself underneath both an arm and a leg. It took some getting used to and Delia found herself struggling to fall asleep. There would be time enough for her to figure out the mystery that was Patsy Mount and she was looking forward to doing so. For now, she was content to just take things as they came. The additional not so friendly feelings were something that Delia didn’t want to bring up. She was so sure that to add that would scare Patsy off and that was the last thing that she wanted to do. Ideally they could get to best friends and then perhaps Delia would be able to confess that she found Patsy completely adorable and amazing. Perhaps then it would be ok. But for now, she wanted to keep things simple. Even though things like this really made her want to actually kiss Patsy. She gave a small huff and Patsy shifted, pulling her in even closer. This was going to be very hard to stay just friends, but Delia was determined to do so. At least until she was sure how Patsy felt about maybe not being friends. Sleep came eventually and the thoughts and worries of the day faded, leaving them both to easy dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are liking it so far! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls wake up and make pancakes. Then things happen. And Patsy gets yelled at for not making a move.

To say that waking up next to the girl you may or may not be crushing on was wonderful was an understatement. Waking up while she was practically on top of you was even better. The only complaint that Delia really had was that she really really had to go to the bathroom. As she slowly moved out of Patsy’s grasp, Delia made sure to take very careful note of where she was going. Eventually Delia was released and she sprinted her way to the bathroom as quietly as she could. When she returned, her heart sank at the reading on the clock. 8:00 am. She’d always been an early riser and having a very restful sleep didn’t help matters. Having to get up early wasn’t as much of a trouble for her compared to other kids her age. It seemed that in her absence, Patsy had decided to take up as much of the bed as possible. A small giggle passed through Delia’s lips and she moved to her bag on the floor. Taking out her phone, Delia frowned. Apparently she’d forgotten to ask for the wifi password earlier. But she should have enough data to be able to check Facebook and emails. Finding a sort of spot on the bed, Delia settled her back on the couch and started scrolling. It was harder when Patsy figured out where her heat source had gone and started to move towards it. The amount that Patsy moved in her sleep was very impressive and Delia found it endearing. After an hour or so, the bundle of red hair that had been smushed against her thigh moved. There was a yawn and Patsy, her hair sticking up every which way due to the movements in her sleep, sat up. There was some sort of noise resembling speech that came from Patsy’s mouth and then she slid off the bed and padded away. Delia watched the whole thing amused. It seemed that Patsy had gone to the bathroom as there was a flush noise and a few moments later, her friend reappeared. 

“It’s Saturday,” Patsy said as she flopped back down onto the bed, throwing the blankets over her head. “It is before 10. Why are you up?” 

Delia was surprised that Patsy wanted to have a conversation instead of going back to sleep, but she was game to continue. “Always been an early riser. Heavy sleeper, but that means that I have more restful sleep.” 

Patsy gave a sigh and rolled over, peaking out from underneath the blankets to look at Delia. “I’d be an early riser if I didn’t go to sleep so late. Maybe that’s why I”m awake. Normally I don’t fall asleep until after 12.” 

“Oof.” Delia said and she shifted down so that she too could burry herself under the covers. “I’ve always been an easy to bed early to rise type. I imagine that being up at night is pretty hard, especially in a house as big as this.” She meant to refer to the bad days that Patsy had without making her uncomfortable. Seeing the reality of this house and it just being Patsy and her dad made Delia want to reach out and pull her into a fierce hug as well as appreciate her own family more. They may be strict, but at the end of the day Delia knew that they would be there and would love her. That she could go and talk to her mother about what was bothering her and her mother would listen. That her younger sister and older brother would be there to joke and keep her company, despite the occasional screaming matches. Patsy seemed to be so alone compared to her own life. It made Delia’s heart ache for her. 

At Delia’s words, Patsy gave a little shrug. “You get used to it. Though you know that sometimes it’s hard.” That was as comfortable as she felt to referring to her issues out loud. The only person who really got to know about them was Dr. Julianne and even then sometimes it was like pulling nails out of wood without a hammer. “Hence all the videos.” 

“Ah I see,” Delia said and nodded. “Then I’ll have to send you more. Your taste could use some improvement. For someone who isn’t straight, you don’t know enough about the online culture.” Patsy gives a somewhat offended look. This was also the first time that their interactions on tumblr were becoming blended into their normal conversation. Probably due to the fact that they weren’t at swimming practice. Neither one of them wanted to mention their habits where other people could over hear them. But the offended look makes Delia laugh. “You watch Grey’s Anatomy for the medical drama! I watch for Callie.” Delia places a hand on her heart as she remembered the appearance of her favorite character. 

Patsy rolled her eyes. “That’s because I find it fascinating. I might want to be a doctor someday.” 

“Really?” Delia asked, impressed. “I have no idea what I want to do with my life. That’s fairly impressive.” 

“I always know what I want to do.” 

“Bullshit.” 

“I know that right now that I’m starting to get hungry and unless you are going to be nice, you won’t get the pancakes I will be making,” Patsy challenged, throwing off the sheets of both of them. She’d been awake enough to be actually functional. Without paying attention to Delia, Patsy started her way to the kitchen. With a huff, Delia padded after Patsy, grateful that the house was decently heated even though it was early in the morning. She caught up with a bit of hurried movement and let her eyes wander around the house. There were a few paintings on the wall, but Delia couldn’t recognize the painter. She wasn’t that knowledgeable about art type things. Despite the stereotype, she was much more of a musical type of gal. Still, the landscapes were beautiful to look at. Delia made a mental note to try and look it up later. She wondered if any of them were originals, but it didn’t seem to be the case. The logos of museums were typically in the corners. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when they finally reached the kitchen. The intense cleanliness still struck her. Everything was stainless steel, tall cabinets, and a few plants on the granite countertops. But Patsy moved through the whole thing with a practiced efficiency and Delia found herself regulated to a chair by the island counter. Then there was a bowl placed in front of her. “You are going to stir.” The order is clear and the whisk is thrust into Delia’s hands. There isn’t really any reason for her to object and she’s happy to be useful. It wasn’t like pancakes were hard to make, she had done that before. It was cute that Patsy was so determined to feed her. There was no arguing with Patsy when she was in charge. 

“Do you like cooking?” Delia asked as she watched Patsy measure out the pancake mix. The way that she did it was like it was a precise art and if there was anything wrong then it would ruin the whole concoction.

The question caused Patsy to pause slightly. Trying to seem nonchalant, she set down the bag of mix and there was a puff of the powder as it hit the counter. Normally Patsy would have taken care of it right away as she hated for there to be a mess in the kitchen, but she was still trying to figure out the right answer for Delia. There was the answer that she told her father’s business people, a curt and polite yes or there was the fake smile and say it’s just needed. She shook of the flour mix off of her hand. Delia tilted her head, looking a bit concerned. That made Patsy realize that she’d been rather silent for a long time after the question and how it was weird. “My, uh, my mom liked to cook. So it kinda reminds me of her.” The words were rushed and Patsy looked down, not wanting to see the reaction. She hated being emotional. Saying the truth out loud was more shameful than it really should have been, but Patsy could never separate the guilt from surviving and the sorrow of loss. She was surprised that a gentle hand reached out and just rested on hers for a moment. But then Delia was up and moving around. She took the measuring cup and dumped it into the bowl. 

“I think that’s nice,” she said after. “How many of these do we need?” It was a soft acknowledgement of what Patsy had gone through and an easy move into something else. Patsy greatly appreciated the gesture and she turned to wash the flour off of her hands.

Then she took charge again. “We’ll need one more of those and then an egg, some oil, and water.” The rest of the morning was filled with much lighter conversation. Delia teasing Patsy about her sleeping habits, a discussion of the movie, and little pieces of their hopes for the upcoming swim meet. When the sizzle of the pancakes started to waft through the house, a messy haired Ernest joined them. He’d already changed into a t-shirt and jeans, but was clearly not a morning person either. The similarity between him and Patsy made Delia smile. He pulled out some sausages from the fridge and then got to cooking along side his daughter. Though it was mostly Patsy giving him instructions on how not to burn things. Once everything was done and there was coffee brewed for Ernest, they sat around the raised counter and ate. It wasn’t as rambunctious as supper had been last night, but it was a different sort of enjoyment. The type where they all felt comfortable to just be with each other. Delia had never felt more welcome in a friends home. Usually she felt obligated to keep up string of inane conversation that left her more exhausted than practice did. 

Though the one sad thing was the ticking of the clock. Her mother was coming to pick her up for lunch, having instead that “It’s going to be some woman bonding time, cariad, you never seem to be home on the weekends and I miss my eldest daughter.” She’d begrudgingly said yes, knowing that if she said no, that there would be no end to the nagging. The time came and eventually her mother arrived. She was oddly subdued as she made pleasantries with Ernest. Perhaps it was the grandeur of the house that unsettled her. Delia hugged Patsy tightly, wishing that there was a way that she could have stayed for longer. Things were just starting to get good. 

“I’d love to do this again sometime,” she whispered as they hugged. Neither of the parents could see them, they’d remained in the hallway while Patsy and Delia went to get Delia’s stuff. So it was a bit of a longer hug than would have been appropriate. 

Hearing those words made Patsy smile and in a lower than usual tone, she answered back. “Me too.” It was a very deep wish from her heart and she was happy that Delia felt the same way. With reluctance, she started to pull away from the hug and they stood there. Delia was looking at her and then moved forward, pushing herself up and placed a gentle kiss on Patsy’s cheek. The redhead flushed and before she could do anything else, Delia had picked up her duffle bag and shuffled off. After taking a breath, Patsy followed. She tried to remain normal, but her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest at any moment. It was sad to watch Delia leave, but the sort of promise that they’d do this again and the light feeling of Delia’s lips on her cheek made it bearable. 

On the other hand, Delia didn’t have much time to really think about Patsy. Instead, she was busy getting an earful from her mother. “Why didn’t you tell me that your friend was living in a place like this? I would have worn something more nice!”

“You already look nice Mam, and besides, they don’t really care about that sort of thing.” Delia’s mother gave a huff, but thankfully dropped the topic. She was always so concerned about the ways that other people saw them and it was irritating for Delia. She just wanted to meet other people and get to know them without having to worry about appearances. It was just the start of a incredibly long Saturday. Delia sighed and leaned onto the glass. The chill of the material helped to focus her. At least she could just play back in her mind the way Patsy had reacted. That made her smile. The faint blush had been so cute. Delia was trying her best not to stay in that space where they just fell into friendship. Hopefully Patsy knew that. 

Patsy had gone to her room to ask about that the moment she got the chance. She did scroll up to read all of the ridiculous messages that Trixie had sent. Some were boarding on a bit mean, others were vaguely threatening. But it mostly made Patsy chuckle. Her friend was very curious and she couldn’t help it. 

P: So.

There was a response almost instantaneously as if Trixie had been checking Facebook messenger constantly. Patsy wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case. Her friend was notoriously stubborn sometimes. 

T: Patience Elizabeth Mount. I have been over here just DYING to know what’s going on. And you have the audacity to just write SO? 

B: She’s been spamming us constantly. 

T: Please give me the details. 

P: There isn’t much to tell. 

T: Bullshit. I want a rundown of the events.

C: Oh yes! That’d be lovely to hear about.

T: See? If Cynthia wants the deets then you cannot deny me. 

P: Alright, alright. Hold on.

T: I’ve been holding on for what feels like months!

P: We got home from practice and made pizza with my father. That was fun. 

C: I hope your Dad is doing well. He’s always so kind. 

P: Then we just hung around and watched youtube and other internet things. After that we watched a movie. Then went to bed. 

T: What movie? Where did you sleep? In the same bed?? Were you in your bedroom?

P: Lord of the Rings and downstairs on the pullout couch. My bed would have been far too small!

B: From what Trixie insists on, I don’t think it would have.

T: Exactly, Barbara is right. You would have been wrapped up in Delia’s arms (which seem to be very impressively toned from the pictures you’ve sent us), your hearts beating steadily faster. But then one of you shifts, your breath catches and your lips finally met!

B: Gosh. That’s terribly romantic. 

P: Trixie!! 

T: Yes?

P: Delia and I are just friends.

T: Oh, don’t tell me that you wouldn’t have died with joy if that had happened. 

P:…. it couldn’t have. Either way I fell asleep during the movie. And apparently rolled around quite a lot in my sleep. But she was very nice about it. Delia is a morning person. She was up at 8! On a weekend!

T: You fell asleep!! Patsy!

P: Practice makes me tired. But I made her pancakes for breakfast. It was nice. 

C: It does. I’m glad you have someone you feel close to. Though I do have to say that sharing a bed with you is a dangerous thing sometimes. 

B: Agreed. 

T: That’s it? Nothing else happened?

P: She left a bit before lunchtime. Cleaning up the kitchen and everything didn’t give us much time. 

T: Clearly! Not even one kiss!

P: I don’t go around kissing my friends Trixie!

P: Though she did kiss me on the cheek before she left. 

T: At least Delia has some balls! Well, not really, but you get my point. 

B: Like just a goodbye sort of thing? Is that a Welsh thing?

C: You’ve lived closer to Wales than any of us, you should know. 

B: Yes, but I’m not Welsh.

T: Either way, I’m proud of Delia. Even though I’ve never met her. 

P: It didn't mean anything. 

T: I’m calling bullshit. None of us have felt obligated to do such a thing. 

P: Maybe that’s just what they do in her family. 

T: You’ve never been a more useless lesbian in your life. 

B: I have to say I agree. 

C: Come on guys, not everything is an indication of a romance. 

P: I agree. I have to go anyways. 

With that, Patsy shut her computer. As much as she protested to her friends, their words made her think. She knew that there were some distinctly more than friend feelings that she had towards Delia. But they weren’t enough that she really wanted to act on them. There would be a large risk to doing something like that. She could potentially loose the friend she’d just made. Well, probably not. But the idea that there was even a slight chance that Delia would reject her was terrifying. Patsy also didn’t think it was right for her to be seeking out that sort of happiness. She wasn’t ashamed of who she was, but Patsy knew that there were plenty enough people in the world that didn’t accept her, even with how things had changed. If she tried to reach out and grab that happiness there would be so many who might try and take it away. Her heart wasn’t strong enough for that. Not yet anyways. But still, she could feel the gentle heat of Delia’s lips on her cheek even now. Like she had been lightly sunburned in that one spot, not enough to hurt, but enough that it was noticeable. 

She remembered a conversation with Dr. Julianne from last week. They had been talking about her hopes for the future and Patsy coming out had been brought up. “Have you ever even discussed your sexuality with your father?” That had been the question. Of course she’d admitted being gay to Dr. Julianne, but the topic wasn’t one that she brought up that often. Instead of actually answering, Patsy had turned to stare at one of the many plants around the room. It was one of the worst and best things about going to therapy. The plants were also so calming and cheerful, but it made it very easy to avoid eye contact. Which would often get Patsy in trouble. Well, not trouble, but there would be a gentle reminder of “The plants aren’t your therapist, Patsy.” It made her feel very young. 

Patsy couldn’t quite remember the answer she had given to the question. It had probably been something along the lines of a very sullen no. There was that sort of tsk from the chair opposite of her. It was one of the worst sounds. Though they hadn’t been in a patient and clinician relationship for very long, Patsy felt pretty comfortable with Dr. Julianne. She felt so wise and so gentle. It was a very different atmosphere than anywhere else when Patsy visited. A soft and muted place, almost like the silence of a convent or so she imagined. Time had passed and eventually Dr. Julianne spoke again. “You do know that your father loves you very much. I highly doubt he’d reject his family.” There was an undercurrent of reminding Patsy that she was the only family her father had left. It probably wasn’t meant, but it had still been heard. 

“I’m the last one, of course he wouldn’t,” Patsy had replied. It had been fairly bitter and she’d instantly felt bad. “Sorry. I just… I know that. But I also don’t want to be a disappointment.” 

There had been a small sigh and Dr. Julianne shook her head. “I also doubt you’d ever be that. But we’ve talked about that fear of yours before. You don’t have to be yourself, your mother, and your sister for him to love you Patsy. You are enough by yourself. And that includes you being gay. Do you have any friends who are out? You could talk to them to hear their experiences.” It had been a good suggestion, but Patsy was too afraid to talk to Delia and Trixie was so blatant about her love of all genders that it was impossible to think she’d had much trouble with her family. In fact Patsy knew that she hadn’t. Tribe’s family was dealing with far more serious issues than whoever their daughter was dating. “You do have every right to be happy.” 

Those last words had rung in her ears and Patsy remembered them as she sat with her computer closed. She had every right. Pursing her lips, Patsy curled her legs to her chest. Perhaps she did, perhaps she didn’t. The only thing that she was really sure of was that Delia was someone that she wanted to spend more time with, in whatever way she could. Time with people was precious and they could be lost at any time. If there was one person who knew this truth, it was Patsy. If their relationship never changed from what it was now, she’d be happy. Happy to have found someone to make her last year of high school a good experience. She sighed and stretched out on her bed. She’d been lying a little bit when she had said she had places to go. Right now, all she wanted was to day dream about something happy for once. Thanks to Delia, she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit shorter, but I hope you guys don't mind. Planning on some more serious stuff happening next chapter. oooOOOOOoooh


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Amos is making an appearance. This chapter is much more dramatic and there will be slurs of a homophobic nature and a bit of violence. Please be warned and don't read if that is going to be upsetting to you.

It happened on Tuesday. Normally Patsy went about her day without really paying much attention. A way to protect herself without getting too sad. But she was grabbing her bag from the locker rooms when she heard it. It was the muffled sound of a scuffle. Moving towards the noise it seemed to be coming from the boys locker room. Normally Patsy avoided that place like the plague, but when there was another crash, she couldn’t stop herself. If she was going to be a doctor, then she shouldn’t stand by when someone is getting hurt. The scene that she arrived at was shocking. There were three boys fighting, though it really looked like it was two on one. Patsy barely recognized them, but they looked like they were from the football team. She didn’t often pay attention to them, even though almost every other girl was practically obsessed with at least one of them. 

“You fucking faggot,” the brunette swore, making Patsy’s blood run cold. She knew that people used it as a slur, but never had she actually heard it allowed, directed at another person. He slammed the curly haired one into the locker and the blonde sneered at the action. “I saw you looking at Mark’s ass. What the fuck Amos?” 

The curly haired one, Amos apparently pushed back and shook his head. “You have it wrong! Leave off me Finn, or I’ll talk to the coach.” He was clearly taller and more well built than the other two, but the way that the others were ganged up on him just felt wrong. Finn growled and took a swing at the Amos boy. The punch landed and he fell back, sinking into the lockers. That’s when Patsy unfroze and in a surge of bravery she didn’t know she had, she moved forward. 

“What do you think you are doing?” she spat as she moved to stand next to Amos. The two other boys seemed to be surprised at her appearance. But the brunette, the one called Finn seemed to recover the quickest. 

He sneered and for a second, Patsy’s resolve wavered, but she stood where she was, trying to not seem like her heart was racing and her brain was screaming at her to run. The thing that kept her there was the way that Amos was pushing himself up and groaning. Clearly he was in pain. “Are you relying on bitches to defend you, Tony? You fucking pussy.” The name of Tony Amos was vaguely familiar, but Patsy didn’t have time to think of why exactly she knew that name. Instead he was a victim of two assholes. 

“Leave him alone. I have absolutely no idea who any of you are, but touch him again and I’ll get you suspended. All student athletes are supposed to adhere to a code of conduct.” 

“You call him staring at me with his faggy eyes a code of conduct then?” sniveled Mark. “I call that an act of perversion.” 

“Damn right,” Finn agreed. “Listen, neither of us want to hit a girl, so why don’t you move and we can teach this piece of shit a lesson. Maybe we can beat this out of him before finals.” There was a cold chuckle in his voice and Patsy felt herself grow more disgusted with the boy in front of her. 

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’m afraid that you are going to have to get taught along with Tony here,” Finn answered. He gave a grin and leaned back slightly, clearly trying to use his physique to intimidate her. Patsy shot a glance to Tony. He was holding his head in his hands and wasn’t fully standing. The blow had clearly rattled him and so she couldn’t count on his help. She rolled back her shoulders and tried to remember the words from that self defense talk she’d watched on YouTube. Her safety had already been threatened and there wasn’t a good escape. Patsy shifted one foot back, trying to maintain her balance. Finn seemed to be surprised that she hadn’t left yet and shifted, his hands coming up. That’s when Patsy made her move. With all the power of her legs muscles from years of swim practice, she threw a kick, aiming straight at his balls. There was a satisfying dull thud when the sole of her foot connected and Finn slammed into the lockers on his side. His head cracked into the metal and his body slid down to the floor. He groaned, having remained conscious, but it was clear that he was down. Mark looked from Finn, to Patsy, to the recovering Tony. Then he bolted. Patsy didn’t really care where he went. Instead she turned to Tony and helped him to regain his balance. 

He blinked and looked at her, clearly surprised. “I would have had it, you didn’t need to do that.” Patsy raised an eyebrow and he turned, not looking at her anymore. “Thanks…” 

“You’re welcome.” There was a groan from Finn and Patsy couldn’t help grinning. “I can’t stand small mindedness. “ The small sense of satisfaction was cut short. Mark had returned with one of the gym teachers. Mr. Buckle was known for being fairly gullible, but when push came to shove was a stickler for the rules. So it was unsurprising that seeing Patsy standing over a fallen Finn and a slightly battered Tony made him immediately think they all needed to go to the principals office. 

Which is how she found herself in the room reserved for kids that Principal Turner had set up. Finn had already been spoken too and sent to the nurses office and Mark was speaking next. Tony sat across from Patsy. His leg was bouncing and he kept going back from wringing his hands to holding his head. She’d remembered where she’d heard his name now. Tony was the quarterback of the football team as well as the captain. Seeing him in such a state of distress was understandable, but also rather irritating. For her part, Patsy was working on swallowing her panic and hoping that the truth would win out in the end. A suspension from school meant a longer suspension from practice which could possibly mean missing the swim meet. It was only the first one of the season, but it was unthinkable that she’d miss it. Patsy sighed and Tony looked up at her, his wide and fearful eyes searching her face. “You can’t tell anyone what they were saying about me, alright? I’ve had girlfriends before.” 

“Tony, I don’t really give a rat’s ass about who you are attracted to. I’m not going to see someone beaten up for such a stupid reason. Besides, I have to stand up for anyone who might be. Because people who are the same way should stick together.” It was a rushed coming out. Her heart was still pounding fast at the potential that she was in trouble, but Patsy was determined to stay calm. It could be worse. 

If were possible for Tony’s eyes to get wider, Patsy swore that they just had. He swung his head back and forth as if he were searching for a hidden camera and leaned forward, trying to remain secretive even thought they were across the room from each other. “We should. But I didn’t look at either of those two. They are disgusting. Finn just wants to be captain.” The bouncing of his leg hadn’t stopped this entire time and by now Patsy was very concerned that he might explode with all of the nervous energy. 

She shifted chairs, getting closer so that they could talk a bit more easily. “Tony, you have to calm down, neither of us did anything wrong. You were being attacked.”

“I know, but I can’t not be captain. You see that don’t you? People will talk, get the wrong idea. You should understand.” 

Patsy sighed because of course she did. “Even in any way that they try to spin it, you didn’t hurt anyone.”

It’s then that the door to the office opens and Mark wandered out. He didn’t look at either of the two and just left. Then it was Tony’s turn. He wrung his hands and Patsy watched his slouched shoulders disappear behind the door. It felt fairly lonely now that he was gone. Tony seemed like a decent guy and Patsy hoped that Principal Turner would be able to see what had really happened. Though now with there no one there, Patsy started to get more nervous. It was silly of course. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Perhaps the violence of her actions would be overruled by the ones that Finn had used. Tony’s jitters seemed a little bit more understandable now, but Patsy remained still. Her heart felt like at any moment that it was going to leap out of her chest and run away. Thinking of all of the consequences that she was going to face. What she would have to say to her father, to Delia, to Trixie and the others. She had never done something like this before. The only thing close really was the time she forgot to return an overdue book for about a day. She’d felt bad about it for weeks after. Her phone was still in her pocket though. Patsy pulled it out and looked at the screen, wondering just what exactly she should be doing. Should she tell her father? Delia? Her fingers drummed on the screen and then she turned it on. She shot a quick message to Delia. “Might be getting suspended and therefore might not be in practice for a few days. Was trying to protect this guy from getting his shit kicked in.” Having Delia worry about why she was getting suspended would not have been kind. Then she just waited. It felt like she had been sitting there for eons before the door opened again and a shaky Tony exited the room. 

“Patience Mount,” called the hard, but still feminine voice from inside the office. Patsy gave Tony a stiff nod and stood. She cleared her throat and kept the same poise that she would have at any of those many company dinners that her father had had to drag her along to. Adults respected someone who was clear, efficient, and knew what they had done. She shuffled along the line of chairs, trying to prepare what she would say, how she would sound, and how the principal might react. There was still no way of knowing what they others before her had said and Patsy had more than certainly been the one who had raised her hand in the more violent manner. But didn’t the words and the ignorance shown by the other two boys count for something? If she hadn’t resorted to violence it would have gotten much worse. Patsy shut the door and was shocked to see the office was decorated with several plants and pictures of Principal Turner’s family. Her husband, who was a local physician, and her two children beamed at her from the desk as Patsy sat across from the stern looking woman across the desk. Swallowing again, Patsy was startled to find that she didn’t really have words to say. They had all been erased. She’d never been in trouble like this before and it was causing her to be slightly more overwhelmed that Patsy had been anticipating. “Well…I have had a large amount of differing reports of what happened today and I’m hoping that I can get some truth from you Patience.” 

“Patsy,” she corrected out of habit.

Principal Turner nodded. “Of course. I was trying to find your record and I was surprised to see that there was absolutely nothing, not even from before you moved.” The woman shifted and pushed forward a bowl of M&Ms. “Have some of these, if you aren’t allergic, I know that if this is your first time it can be a bit nerve wracking.” Patsy just gave a slow nod. Her hand reached out and took some of the small candies. The back of her mind chimed in with the bit of knowledge that these had been made so that soldiers could have a snack that wouldn’t melt as easily. It was completely useless information given the situation, but for some reason it was the only thing that she could think of. There was a sigh from across the desk. “Now, the only thing that I know is that Finn ended up on the ground due to your swift kick. Do you think that you can run me through the events as they happened?” Patsy popped one of the candies in her mouth, chewing it slightly. The sweetness of the crunch and the tingle of the sugar on her tongue seemed to jumpstart her brain again. She swallowed and then began to tell her side. Through out the whole story, occasionally Principal Turner would write something down or give a soft nod to encourage Patsy to continue. When Patsy had finally finished, she leaned back and pursed her lips. “I see… This is a very different report from Mike or Finn, but they do have a bit of a record for causing problems with other students. However, you still resorted to violence instead of going and getting a teacher. There will have to be consequences.”

“Of course,” Patsy agreed. She looked down at her hands. Through the whole story she’d clasped them tighter and tighter and now they were almost white. With an effort Patsy pried them apart. “Do you think I’ll be able to participate in the swim meet?” It was a fleeting hope, but she voiced it nonetheless. 

There was a small smile from Principal Turner. “I’ll have to talk to your coach, but with this being your first ever offense, I think we can arrange something. Now, I know that you don’t drive yet, so I had my assistant call in your father.” Patsy’s eyes went wide. “You can’t have thought that he wouldn’t hear of this.” Giving the slightest of nods, Patsy could feel her whole body seem like it was numb. Her breathing started to come faster and she could only think of how disappointed her Dad would be. She scrunched her eyes shut and tried to focus on something else, anything else, but it rung out loud and clear. “Patsy?” Principal Turner moved from behind her desk and went to crouch next to the girl, taking her hand. “Can you hear me? Try to take slower breaths and it’ll be alright.” Again Patsy nodded and her face screwed up. It took a few minutes of it seeming like everything was going to collapse until she could take breaths that were longer and more even. Her nails had practically dug into the Principals and Patsy let go as soon as she realized. 

“…Sorry,” she mumbled. 

“No need to be sorry. Do you need to be sent to the nurse?”

Patsy shook her head. “No. It…happens. If you read my file I’m sure it has it in there.” There was a sadness in the Principal’s eyes as she pulled away, but she nodded. 

“Of course.”

Giving a shrug, Patsy tried to return to her normal composed state. There were still chills, but at least everything was clear and she didn’t feel like everything was collapsing anymore. It was just one more thing to talk to Dr. Julianne about. She was grateful that this had happened before her appointment. The attacks like this hadn’t been as much of a problem lately. She gave a sigh. Eventually Principal Turner left her side and went back to her own chair. There was still a worried look in her eye, but Patsy just waved her off. “Is it alright if I wait for my father in the foyer?” she asked, hoping to be dismissed. 

“If that’s what you’d like, but if you need anything please don’t hesitate to reach out. You don’t have to be alone.” 

“Thanks.” With that, Patsy walked out of the door. Somehow she made her way to the benches by the doors at the front of the school and sat down. She’d already put her things back and her backpack weighed down on her shoulders like it was twice as heavy. There was a buzz from her pocket. She pulled it out and gazed at the text. It was from Delia. Just a small message to ask if she was ok. Patsy didn’t respond. Even though it would have really been nice to just talk to her. Patsy was just way too tired to have her heart do it’s normal flip-flops when they talked. Instead she just sat there, phone being turned and turned again between her hands. It was something to distract herself and she needed distracting. 

It seemed to take ages until her father pulled up in front. She grabbed her bag and dragged herself towards the car. He opened the door for her, but Ernest didn’t say anything. He could see that anything else he said right now would make it worse. Patsy was going to be out of school for only a few days, but Ernest was more concerned with why she acted the way she did. Even at the worst of times that they’d been through together, she had never been violent. Was there something about the accident that was just coming up now? His own mind was so busy going through the options that he didn’t notice that Patsy was crying until she let out a loud shaky breath. Then he turned and saw her face all screwed up as she tried her hardest not to make any noise or to just stop crying. “Oh honey,” he said and reached over to place a hand on her shoulder. “You aren’t in any more trouble, I know how hard you take these sorts of things.” Patsy shook her head and the small sobs came out with more frequency. “Not what’s wrong?” Patsy nodded and her breathing started to hyperventilate. “Deep breaths, love. Do you want me to pull over?” 

“No,” came the cry from Patsy. “I-I-“ Her jaw tightened and she looked down at her hands. “You taught me to help people. That’s what I want to do. B-but I just d-don’t understand why?” 

Ernest waited for a few moments, eyes flicking from the road to his daughter. What she said didn’t really make that much sense. “Understand why what?” 

“Why they hate us? I was just trying to help him and they said so many mean things for no good reason!” In her anger and hurt, Patsy didn’t realize what she had said, nor did she know how much her father actually knew about the event. “And I didn’t know what else to do to make them stop, so I just-“ Her hand came up and she gestured into the air. “I did what I had to do.” 

As he listened, Ernest’s heart broke. He still didn’t know why exactly the other boy was being bullied, but he was still proud of his daughter. He made a snap decision and turned off the road they were, heading a different direction. Patsy didn’t notice. She was still trying to get herself to calm down. Ernest knew he wouldn’t be able to help with that. She wasn’t five anymore and he couldn’t pull her into his arms and tell her fantastical stories of what their family was going to go do when they were older. He frowned at the thought, but kept driving. After a few more minutes, he pulled into the parking lot of a Dairy Queen and Patsy gave a final sniffle and looked up. Seeing where she was, she looked at her father, confusion in her eyes. “You want you usual?” he asked. “You don’t have to come in.” Patsy gave a nod and he left the car. The time while Ernest stood in line gave Patsy time to calm down and gave him time to try and think what in the world Patsy could have meant by “hate us”. He was unable to come up with anything. So instead he returned with a plain vanilla cone with sprinkles for himself and a cookie dough blizzard for his daughter. 

“Thank you,” she mumbled as he offered it to her. Patsy had been so afraid of disappointing him that this was very strange. 

“If you were trying to help him the best way you could then I’m very proud of you, Patience.” He used her full name so that she would believe him. “You know I don’t like violence. You could have been seriously hurt. But what you did was brave anyways.” Sighed he gave her a smile. “You’ve always been the braver of the two of us.” It was more emotional than he usually was, but having the call from the school had scared Ernest more than he would ever say. Patsy just gave a small nod. The crying had tired her out so she wasn’t ready to process those words. 

“Can we just go home?” 

“Of course.” 

After a smaller supper, Patsy went up to her room and hugged a pillow. She was going to have to deal with her friends sooner rather than later or else they’d really worry. It would probably be easiest to start with Delia, who should have heard the story from the girls at swim practice by now. Patsy felt incredibly guilty for not texting her back right away. Friends were supposed to lean on each other and instead of reaching out, Patsy had just shut her out. Hopefully Delia wasn’t angry. Pulling out her phone, she was surprised to see another text from Delia. “Heard what happened. Take your time. For what it’s worth, I think you did a good thing.” Patsy clearly hadn’t noticed the buzz when she’d been in the car. Had her tears not already been all dried up, she might have shed more. Instead Patsy thought of what she could even say to her. 

Eventually, Patsy settled for the truth. “Yeah. Sorry for not texting back. Needed to calm down/think.” She sent it and was shocked when there was a near instant reply. 

“You take all the time you need! I totally get it. When I get mad at my Mam, I have to take hours to cool off. (hug) Sending you love.” 

“Thanks. I will. Sucks that I won’t be getting to see you in practice for a few days. But it makes sense. School has to show that violence isn’t ok.” 

“What those bullies were doing isn’t ok!!” Patsy could just see the face of righteous indignation that surely was on Delia’s face when she wrote that text. She smiled and shook her head. 

“True. I have to explain what’s up to the girls, but then I think I’m going to bed. Talk to you tomorrow.” Setting her phone down, Patsy then moved to her laptop. The reaction of her other friends was less certain and they would be asleep by now, hopefully. But still she typed it out and waited. After a few minutes it seemed that no one was up. It wasn’t even that late, but Patsy headed to bed. She was so tired. All she wanted was to rest. There would be more things to talk about, things to worry about and more repercussions she was sure. But the thing that mattered the most was that she had people in her life who were still there and were standing by her. Her heart felt just that bit better and a shower was going to make it even better. 

Before she went to sleep, Patsy did check her phone once last time. The words that glowed in front of her eyes made her fall asleep with a true smile on her face, phone resting next to her head. “Good night, Patsy. I will look forward to bitching about those assholes tomorrow. Until then, sleep well beautiful. <3”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to write. Not only was it really hard to write down, but there were several big projects in school that I had to take care of.

**Author's Note:**

> I've recently fallen in love with these two and I wanted to try my hand at writing them. I can't promise to update often, but I will be posting this fic here and on my tumblr http://waitingintheflowers.tumblr.com Also I promise that Delia will be making an appearance soon and it will be glorious.


End file.
